The Korea Herald reported Monday that Samsung claimed the top spot in Africa’s smartphone market, with installment plans helping drive sales.
TechInsights figures cited by the newspaper show Samsung’s smartphone unit sales rose 34.8% in the second quarter from a year earlier. Africa’s overall market contracted 16.6% over the same comparison. Samsung ranked first for smartphone revenue in the first quarter, then led by unit sales in the second. Those rankings measure different things across consecutive quarters.
The payment plans address a substantial price gap. Galaxy A phones sell for about $200, compared with many devices priced near $100, The Korea Herald reported. Customers can make an initial payment and use mobile money to cover the balance in daily or weekly installments, the newspaper said. Samsung offers the arrangements through carrier and financing partners, including Watu and M-KOPA. The Korea Herald reported that the plans represented 46% of Samsung’s smartphone revenue in Africa in 2026. It also said many consumers receive income daily or weekly.
Samsung’s approach also includes product support and repair access. Some Galaxy A models receive operating-system and security updates for up to six years, and Samsung has 281 service locations in 38 African countries, according to The Korea Herald. GSMA figures cited by the newspaper put sub-Saharan Africa’s mobile-money transaction value at $1.4 trillion in 2025, roughly two-thirds of the worldwide total. The paper linked the financial role of phones in the region to security as part of Samsung’s pitch.
Samsung is also promoting Galaxy products at the Dakar Youth Olympics in Senegal. The Korea Herald reported that the campaign includes product demonstrations and a special phone bundle sold through Orange.
TechInsights forecasts Samsung will account for 38.7% of Africa’s smartphone unit sales in 2026, compared with 22.4% in 2024. The firm’s revenue-share forecast is 34.5%, according to The Korea Herald.
